Castles in the Sky
by Sabishiioni
Summary: Turk deaths, a mysterious new Turk and memories best forgotten.
1. The GiftGiver

Disclaimer: I do not own FFVII

Warnings: Short, intro

Mindless Babble:

* * *

"Looks like you got another one."

Reno walked over to his desk and was pleasantly surprised to find a pack of his favorite cigarettes among the mess of papers and folders. As usual, the gift was tied with a black ribbon to a dark red rose. He grinned at Rude.

"What's this? You have a secret admirer or something?" A blond woman peered past the taller man's shoulder in an attempt to see what Reno had picked up.

The red head laughed. "Yeah, something like that. And she knows me pretty well. I just ran out of these last night, yo."

Elena raised an eyebrow. "How are you so certain that this person is female?"

Reno's grin didn't fade, and in fact grew wider as he showed his fellow Turk the small present. "I just don't think a guy would tie a rose to every gift, yo."

Elena frowned. "Are you sure it's safe?"

Rude answered, "We took the first few gifts down to the lab to find that they were perfectly normal. Reno has never had a problem with them."

Soft, flaxen hair brushed lightly tanned cheeks. "How long has this been going on?"

Reno shrugged. "A couple of weeks. She even got me a new EMP holster for my birthday last week with a card."

Elena shook her head again as she read the card that wished him a happy 25th birthday. It wasn't signed. She returned the card and handed a file to Rude, turning around to walk out of the office. "Just watch it, Reno."

All she received in reply was a smirk. "Aww, I didn't realize you cared!"

"I don't," her voice seemed to float back. "It just that filling out the paper work for a dead Turk is a major headache."

* * *

Several hours later, the slender blond returned to the office shared by the pair. Looking from Rude's pristine desk to where Reno was passed out, she rolled her eyes. "The President wants you two to report to the training room." She turned to face the slowly waking Turk, a smirk of her own just touching red lips. "He especially asked for you Reno."

The man blinked in surprise. "Why does he want to see me?"

Elena couldn't resist the grin any more. "There's a new recruit that he wants to test against you."

"Again, why me?" While this wasn't the first time he'd help "test" the recruits, it was the first time he had been requested.

Elena shrugged. "I'm just the messenger. But we should probably get going. The President isn't a patient man."

The three made their way down to the basement level, Rude and Elena walking side by side with Reno following at a somewhat less enthusiastic pace. A request from the president of Shinra Corporation was not something to be taken lightly, but for some reason, this call for him made Reno uneasy.

"Just go to the Arena," Elena directed the redheaded Turk. "We'll be in Ops."

Reno nodded and, with a typical Reno wave, disappeared into the main training room, otherwise known as the Arena. Rude watched until the doors slid shut before joining Elena on the stairs that would take him to a small room that overlooked the Arena. He wished he could have told his partner how much this was worrying him; from Elena's evil grin to the special request from the head of Shinra.

The doors at the top of the stairs opened to reveal a young man with hair the color of fresh honey seated in front of a wall of windows. His raven haired guardian turned his head to look at them, nodding to acknowledge their presence. A smile touched his lips, making Rude feel even more ill at ease.

"Come and look at this," Rufus Shinra motioned with his finger for the two Turks to join him at the viewing window. As Rude approached, he was taken back by the number of unconscious or dead SOLDIERs that littered the Arena. Even more surprising was the figure that stood in the center of the room.

While the baggy clothes hid most of the small body, Rude could see slender arms coming up to protect a face that was turned away from him. The muscles of those arms spoke of a hard life on the streets, toned and slender. Not unlike those of his partner.

"What do you think of her, Rude?" Rufus asked the tall dark skinned man.

"'Her?'" The figure finished a round house kick and now faced the windows. She was clearly female; her shirt ripped enough to prove that fact. Her brown hair brushed her jaw line and, like the rest of her, was filthy. The most striking feature, though, was the scar that ran from her right eyebrow and across the bridge of her nose, just missing her eye.

"She seems to be holding her own," Rude replied. The woman had finally noticed the shadow that was Reno, and paused to get ready for whatever was to come.

"Yes she does." Rufus chuckled. "Would you like to know where we found her?"

Rude didn't reply, knowing he was going to hate hearing the answer

"It seems that this insignificant piece of filth has a little something for Reno. We caught her leaving that last little present on his desk."

Rude's eyes bugged as he looked at the woman. She couldn't have been much younger then Reno, if that. He could hear Rufus, Tseng and Elena laughing about this little fact, but couldn't bring himself to join them.

"The three of us have a bet going," Rufus remarked, almost casually. "I think she'll fight to the bitter end but loose, Tseng feels that Reno will kill her and Elena seems to think that Reno will loose. What do you think?"

The remaining Turk swallowed. "She won't fight."

A look of surprise crossed the president's face. "Oh? Well, I guess we'll see."


	2. Reluctant Acceptance

Disclaimer: I do not own FFVII

Warnings: Short

Mindless Babble:

* * *

"What's your name, girl?" Reno asked as he stepped out of the shadows. He grinned when the others dark eyes widened in fear. He got that reaction a lot but never really got tired of it.

"I am called Ashii." Before the Turk could say anything, she continued. "You are Reno of the Turks. I will not fight you."

It was the redhead's turn to look surprised. "Why? You afraid?"

"Yes, but not for the reasons you may think," came the careful reply. Ashii stepped into a defensive stance; hands open and arms ready to block, but nothing hostile. That was all it took to aggravate Reno into attacking.

He lunged forward, EMR charged and ready. Ashii moved like water, avoiding the blow, ducking as Reno brought his fist back to catch the back of her head. She spun to face him.

"Why? Why won't you fight back?" he demanded.

"Because of a vow," Ashii replied, quietly.

"What kind of stupid answer is that?"

"The only kind I can give you- an honest one."

It was the perfect thing to say to piss Reno off even more then he already was. He threw a series of kicks and punches at lightening speed, but to no avail. Ashii managed to dodge or block everything. But Reno was able to back her up against a wall. She glanced back noting the wall was only a few feet away. She looked back at her assailant and was even more frightened by the look in those silver blue eyes.

Her next move took everyone by surprise. She dropped to a crouch, suddenly springing into a back flip. Her feet barely touched the wall before she somersaulted over Reno's head, her body curled into a tight ball. The maneuver took less the five seconds and would have been more impressive if the girl had landed it properly. Instead, her right foot stepped on one of the SOLDIER's discarded weapons. With a pained cry of surprise, she went down.

Reno got over his shock and took advantage of the woman's misstep. In an instant, the business end of his EMR was in her face. He glared down at her. "You would give Tifa a run for her gil. Why won't you fight me?"

Ashii looked up at the Turk. Knowing the consequences, she replied, "I can't fight you. I promised-"

The bolt of electricity through her body sent her already weakened body into sweet oblivion.

Rude raced down the stairs in an effort to catch up to his partner. He had been sure that Reno was going to kill the girl for whatever she had been saying that when the red head had turned and stalked out of the Arena, Rude had been too shocked to do anything. Now he searched the hall for signs of his best friend, afraid that Reno might do something he would regret.

But Reno was nowhere to be found.

* * *

Ashii awoke to something soft under her and someone playing the drums inside her head. She couldn't stifle the moan of pain that escaped her.

"Good. You're awake." The woman opened her eyes to see a dark skinned man in a dark blue suit standing next to the bed she was laying on. "You can get cleaned up in there and this is what you'll be required to wear. Welcome to the Turks."

Ashii blinked in confusion. "I don't understand. I lost "

"To Reno. No one really expected you to win."

"Oh." The woman stood up, taking a second to wait for the world to stop spinning around her before gathering the clothes and heading towards the small bathroom that the man had indicated. She stopped and turned around. "Who are you?"

"My name is Rude. Reno is my partner."

Ashii nodded and looked at the ground. "He was pretty pissed that I wouldn't fight him, wasn't he?"

Rude nodded. "Why is that? You had no problem taking out the SOLDIERs."

Ashii turned away from him. "I made a promise." She walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.


	3. First Mission

Disclaimer: I do not own FFVII

Warnings: Goodbye, Fluff

Mindless Babble:

* * *

A few days later, Ashii found herself in her tiny, single office reading the intel that had been gathered on a group who's sole purpose was to destroy the remnants of Shinra, focusing mostly on the Turks. Several of the newer Turks had already been killed and there had been quite a few assassination attempts on Tseng, Elena, Rude and Reno. From what little information had been gathered, it appeared that none of the Avalanche members had anything to do with it so the investigation had hit a brick wall.

"What is that, yo?"

The young woman's head snapped up to stare at the Turk that stood in the doorway. Reno pointed to his nose, indicating he was talking about the smell. Ashii blushed.

"It's nag champa. I burn incense when I need to clear my head."

Reno stared at the woman, a mixture of curiosity and anger on his face. "Tseng wants to see you."

"Why didn't he just call me?"

Reno shrugged. "Don't know. He just told me to come get you, yo."

Ashii stood up and straightened her blazer. It still seemed too surreal for her. Here she was, properly groomed with nice clothes, an actual apartment in a safer area, and a job that paid her enough gil to afford all she needed and still be able to splurge on her favorite incense when just last week she was digging in a dumpster for her dinner. In fact, other the coffin incense burner she had on the three drawer filing cabinet the only other decoration she had was a small vase of jasmine, nag champa and sandalwood sticks. She had nothing else to make the office her own.

And then there was the Turk currently standing in her doorway. Reno spoke to her only when he was forced to and avoided even looking at her. Although Ashii noticed that his voice had lost some of the ice that had been there since the day he learned of her being accepted into the Turks, her heart still sank every time she saw him.

Ashii followed Reno to Tseng's office and was surprised to find Rufus Shinra there as well as Elena and Rude. She noticed that her escort was surprised as well, though he tried to cover it as he stepped over to join his partner. The woman stood there with her hands behind her back, trying very hard not to fidget.

"Tseng and I felt that you should have a 'baptismal by fire', as it were." The Shinra president seemed to be enjoying this entirely too much. "Your first mission will be solo. You are to find the target, gather the intel and eliminate them. Here is the info you will need."

Ashii took the file from Tseng and opened it. Her eyes widened in surprise. "Sir? Are you sure-?"

"A Turk's duty is first to the President. Never question him!" Tseng glared at the woman.

"Be careful what you say, Ashii," Elena spoke up. "Something could happen to your family oh wait; you don't have family anymore, do you?"

The newest Turk turned her face to the floor letting her hair cover her stricken features.

"But there is someone you care about," Rufus added, the tone of his voice pure silk. "And we really wouldn't want anything to happen to him."

Dark colored eyes darted over to where Rude and Reno were standing. Ashii could see the taller man was enraged and frightened at the same time. Reno was simply glaring at the other woman in the room, completely confused.

"You don't need to threaten me," Ashii said with a deadly calm that she didn't quite feel. "I will finish this mission. Am I dismissed?"

Rufus nodded and the woman all but fled from the office.

"See that she does finish," Rufus said as he walked from the room.

Reno couldn't hold it in any more. "What the hell was that about?"

Elena smiled sweetly, making Reno's stomach churn. "What ever do you mean?"

"Threatening her like that, giving her a solo mission her first time out "

"Why, Reno, it almost sounds like you care about her."

Silver blue eyes glared at the woman. "She's one of us. Even if I don't like her she deserves my respect as much as she does from you."

"Well, then why don't you make sure it is deserved?" Tseng grinned. "I want you and Rude to tail her and make sure she does as she's told."

Reno glared at the dark haired man before stalking out of room, his partner hot on his heels.

* * *

Reno followed the small figure as she made her way to the small playground. Following Ashii had proved harder then he originally thought it would have been. One of the first things Ashii splurged on was a customized bike that a friend of hers had built, calling it 'Oni'. He once thought Cloud was a maniac on a bike, until he and Rude had tried to keep up with their 'sister'. She made Cloud look like a saint.

But that part was thankfully over and now Reno followed her on foot. Rude was on the other side of the street fading into the shadows just as Reno was. They approached the park were a few children were playing. Ashii's steps faltered.

'They didn't,' Reno thought. 'They couldn't have! Not on her first mission!'

Ashii walked over to the swings where a lone little girl was rocking back and forth, not really trying to do anything. The older woman knelt down in front of the girl and started to talk. Reno couldn't hear the conversation, but could tell from the reactions of the Turk, it wasn't going well.

Suddenly a woman screamed. Ashii grabbed the girl, a knife appearing under the girl's throat. Even from his position in the shadows, Reno could tell that the Turk was afraid.

"Why are you doing this?"

Ashii looked at the other woman and knew that she was talking to the girl's mother. "I don't want to but I'm under orders."

"Then forget about them! Let her go and you'll never see us again!" The woman was desperate.

Ashii swallowed. "I can't. There is someone I need to protect and for him I will do anything." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Including this "

The knife slit open the jugular. Death was almost instantaneous. Ashii dropped the body, her voice turning to ice.

"I don't want to kill anyone else, so let me leave without trouble." She walked down the street that Reno and Rude were hiding in. She stopped right between them. "You can tell the Master that his dog did as she was told."

The two Turks stepped out of the shadows and watched as Ashii mounted her bike and took off.

"Man, that was harsh," Rude commented, glancing back to where a grieving mother clutched the body of her daughter.

"Yeah." Reno was distracted by something Ashii had said. "Any idea of who she's protecting?"

"None," Rude lied.

* * *

That evening, Rude was walking past the tiny office when he heard sobbing coming from within. He stopped and pushed the door open. The small room, an over glorified closet at best, held a small wooden desk shoved in a corner with a filing cabinet next to it and one sobbing girl, her head buried in her arms. Ashii looked up at the sound of the door being opened, her cheeks turning pink in embarrassment as she tried to wipe her reddened eyes dry.

"I know, Turks don't cry," she said, her voice still hitching as she tried to regain control over her emotions.

"But you're not a Turk," Rude replied, not unkindly. "Not at heart at least. So that begs the question of why you agreed to be tested."

Ashii stared at her desktop. "They said they would kill him if I didn't."

"Reno?" The woman nodded, wordlessly. "Why do you care about him so much?"

Ashii turned to look at the only person who had shown her kindness since she became a Turk. "You would need to ask him that question. But I doubt he'd remember."

"You've met Reno before?"

Ashii returned her gaze to her desk. "In another life."

There was a pause as Rude debated on questioning her further. Finally, he said, "You know, he does miss those little gifts you left for him."

A ghost smile appeared on the woman's lips. "Really? I thought he would have grown bored of them."

"I kind of miss them myself." He chuckled at the girl's questioning look. "They always put him in a better mood, making it easier for me to deal with him."

The short bark of laughter from the girl surprised the senior Turk. This was the first time he had ever seen Ashii really smile. Surprisingly, even with the scar, she seemed almost cute.

"You should do that more often," Rude said gesturing towards the woman's cheeks.

Ashii turned away, a blush creeping into her pale skin. "I'd better get back to work. Tseng wants this report."

Just as Rude closed the door he heard the woman say, "Thank you, Senpai."

The next morning Reno found his favorite candy bar tied to deep red rose lying on his desk. And Rude? He found the set of Allen wrenches he had been meaning to pick up tired to the same colored flower.


	4. Lessons of the Monk

Disclaimer: I do not own FFVII

Warnings: Slight Language

Mindless Babble:

* * *

Elena stood in front of the door, trying to remove the smile from her face. In the past months, she and Tseng had noticed how Ashii no longer reported to Tseng but to Rufus. The president had also been the one to assign her missions, not bothering to tell the rest of them what they were. Tseng had wanted to put the little upstart in her place and Elena had been only too happy to help.

Schooling her face into a mask of concern, she lightly rapped on the door before opening it. As she had expected, the young woman had stripped to her blouse and the leggings she wore under her slacks to help her stay warm on her bike. Ashii gasped as she spun around, clutching her blouse closed.

Elena held up her hands. "Don't worry. We're all women here."

Ashii glared at the other woman. "What do you want?" The senior Turk had never made a social call before.

"I heard that you had come back from your latest mission a little worse for wear. I thought I'd stop and see if I could help?"

"Why?"

The beautiful woman looked hurt. "I know we really haven't had the chance to get to know each other but I want to change that. Why don't you catch a shower and I'll treat you to a cup of coffee. It looks like you could use a good, strong shot of the stuff."

In truth, Ashii really looked like she needed something stronger. Her clothes were ripped and tattered, revealing a multitude of small wounds. There were dark circles under her eyes and her short hair looked like it hadn't seen a brush in days and was tied up in a sloppy top knot. Her whole body trembled and seemed on the verge of a complete shut down.

"The women showers are closed for repairs," the Ashii replied.

"Oh, I had forgotten," Elena lied, feigning surprise. She knew that the showers were closed. She had been the one to put the fake sign up. She appeared to think for a moment before saying, "How about this: You use the mens shower to get cleaned up and I'll guard the door?"

Ashii eyed the other woman suspiciously. "You would do that for me?"

Elena grinned. "Of course! Think of it as a peace offering."

"Alright," Ashii said gathering her clothes. Even though the voice of common sense was screaming at her, she followed the blond out of her office and towards the locker rooms.

Meanwhile, Tseng listened as Rude and Reno made their way down the hall. He had been waiting for the pair to return from their mission which, ironically, had been given to them based on Ashii's reports. Tseng held one such report and had to begrudgingly admit the girl did her job well.

He waited for a few more seconds, before turning the corner, pretending to be engrossed in the report. He held a steaming cup of coffee in front of him at such an angle that when it impacted, the scalding liquid was dumped down the front of Reno's shirt. The redhead yelped and pulled his shirt from his reddened skin.

"Damn it, Reno! Watch where you're going!" Tseng yelled at his subordinate.

"ME? You're the one that was too engrossed to notice the two people walking towards you, yo!"

Tseng shrugged. "What can I say? Your girlfriend's got a gift for getting good intel."

"She's not my girlfriend," Reno muttered, halfheartedly. Over the past few days, the feeling that he knew the girl had haunted him. There was something that drew him to her as much as he tried to resist it.

"Well, you have a spare shirt in your locker don't you?" Tseng asked, ignoring the comment. Reno nodded. "Then go change. I'll show Rude the intel Ashii gathered and he can fill you in later."

Reno nodded and stalked away, heading towards the locker rooms. Rude had a feeling that he should follow, but his boss insisted otherwise. "Reno's a big boy now, even if he doesn't act it. I'm sure he can get a clean shirt on his own. I want your opinion of this side note that Ashii put in this report."

* * *

Hot water cascaded through chocolate colored hair, taking the shampoo foam with it. Ashii's back arched so the water didn't touch the rest of her body. She straightened and stepped back into the steady stream, rinsing the soap from her skin, reveling in the cleansing of her body, ignoring the way the water turned red.

The five showers were gathered in a small, tiled area with one head opposite the entry and two on either side. Ashii had chosen one of the showers closest to the entrance thinking that it might be a bit cleaner (This was a mens shower after all). A bench just outside the entrance held her personal belongings

As she was turning around to turn off the water, a slight movement from the corner of her eye caught Ashii's attention. Moving on pure instinct, she lunged for her clothing withdrawing a small knife. When her brain finally caught up with her, she realized that her hand was holding the blade to a surprised Turks throat.

"Reno!" Ashii pulled back, startled, frightened and confused. Her actions were too abrupt and she lost her balance on the wet floor. She closed her eyes, waiting for the impact of her head on the wall. It never came.

She opened her eyes and stopped breathing. Reno had reached behind her and caught her shoulders with one arm and her waist with the other. Her back rested against his knee which was bent to help support her weight. The man's face was inches from her own, liquid blue eyes locked into a gaze with her own dark eyes.

Reality took that moment to remind the young woman that she was still completely naked. She let out a very girlish, therefore very un-Ashii like, squeak and nearly leaped out of the embrace. She grabbed a towel, wrapping it around her and avoiding looking at Reno, her face burning.

"I'm sor...sorry," she stammered out. "The woman's showers are broken and Elena said that I could use the men's and she would guard the door and..and... " The woman was even more horrified by the tears that started to run down her face. "I'm so sorry."

"Why are you apologizing?" Reno asked, trying to keep the tremor of shock out of his voice. His brain suddenly made the connections. "Aw, fuck! We were set up!"

Ashii turned her head to face him, the pain of the betrayal taking the place of her embarrassment. She noticed the stain on Reno's shirt and realized that what he said was true. She dropped her gaze to the floor. "Then then I owe you an even bigger apology. I dragged you into this " Her voice hitched and she again closed her eyes, trying to deal with the torrent of emotions going through her body. "I'm so sorry you had to see this."

Reno understood what she was talking about. Ashii didn't possess the elegant body that Elena did, or her classic beauty. What she had was a small, muscular body that had been honed and formed by countless battles and a struggle to find enough food to survive. Whereas Elena's pure skin had always been healed by untainted potions and remained pristine, this woman's skin was a pattern of scars that were healed naturally. In other words, nothing at all like the type of woman Reno would normal go for.

Without knowing why, Reno wrapped his arms around Ashii, feeling her trembling body against his chest. He was surprised by how thin she was; he could feel the back of her ribs and spine even through the towel as she stiffened in shock. He was also surprised by how familiar it felt to have this woman in his arms. He rested his chin on her damp hair.

"Damn, I need a drink, yo. And you're coming with me."

Ashii turned so she could look at the Turk. "But what about Tseng? I'm supposed to give him a report... "

Reno gently set a slender finger against the woman's red lips. "Then he shouldn't have tried to pull this shit. Now get dressed while I get my other shirt."

"Ummm...I don't think anyplace would let me in with these clothes," Ashii said, holding up her torn and bloodied blouse. "The mission didn't go quite as planed... "

"Hmm...I guess you're right." He stalked to his locker and pulled out his clean (well, cleaner) shirt. Tossing it to the girl, he continued, "Wear this. We'll stop off at your apartment."

While Ashii dried off, Reno turned away from her and pulled out his phone, hitting the speed dial. "Yo, Rude. I'm taking Ashii home...Yes, now...Well if you want to know that, ask that shit head across from you...Yeah, don't expect me back tonight. Later."

Reno snapped his phone closed and turned back to the young woman. He grinned as he said, "My shirt has never looked better, yo!"

Ashii turned her face away from her fellow Turk, a light blush creeping into her cheeks. The shirt was huge on her, covering her torso and half way down her thighs. She had had to roll up the sleeves and, to her chagrin, found that the top two buttons on the front were missing. She gathered her belongings, and, keeping what was salvageable, threw the rest of it away.

"Come on, we'll take my car." Reno noticed the girl's uncertainty and added, "Just think of it this way, those pricks will think that their little prank worked."

"Didn't it?" Ashii didn't look at the man that walked next to her. "The point of that 'prank' was to completely humiliate me, reminding me of my place with the Turks."

Reno stopped and faced the woman. One hand cupped her chin and forced her to look at him. "I don't know what Rufus had been putting you through and I really don't think I can ask, but you are an equal to all of us. There is no rank in the Turks. If they can't accept the fact that you have a talent that attracted the attention of the President, then that's their problem. You are a Turk, Ashii. Be proud of that."

Dark eyes widened in surprise. That was the most Reno had ever said to her since joining. And he really seemed to mean it. While she still felt betrayed and hurt, his words touched her. Together, they walked in a comfortable silence to the underground parking lot.

* * *

Reno stood in the small bedroom staring at nothing. Literally. There was a bed with black sheets and matching comforter, a dark wood dresser and a desk with a computer on it. The living room had been the same with a grey couch, small coffee table and a TV that sat on what appeared to be an end table. No pictures, no plants, no mementos. Nothing to say the woman even existed.

The redhead looked in the closet. "Do you even own anything that's not black or related to work?"

Ashii stepped from the bathroom that was connected to the bedroom a towel wrapped around her torso and another on top of her head. By the time they had reached her apartment, Ashii had been shivering so badly, Reno had wondered if she was having a seizure. He had insisted that she take a shower to warm up.

"I like black," she stated simply.

"You also like living the life of a monk?"

Ashii looked confused for a moment until Reno waved his hand at her furnishings or, rather, the lace thereof. She smiled. "There's nothing else I need."

"So? You could get stuff that you don't need but liked anyway." The Turk pulled a short, sleeveless dress from the closet. Like the rest of the clothing, it was black with no embellishments.

"But then after I died, some poor soul would have to figure out what to do with it."

Reno looked at the woman. "You know, most Turks have a god complex instead of a death wish "

Ashii shrugged as she took the dress from him. "I don't have a death wish. It is truth. We are all born to die." She returned to the bathroom, leaving Reno standing in her bedroom completely confused as to how this woman became a Turk.


	5. History at Raven’s

Disclaimer: I do not own FFVII

Warnings: Drug, Goodbye, Cliffie

Mindless Babble:

* * *

Reno was forced to park a few blocks a way from the bar due to construction. That was fine by him; he had a theory he wanted to test out. There was a line of stores with large display windows between where he parked and where he was taking the newest Turk that would help him do just that.

He walked so Ashii was closest to the shops. At first, she ignored them, focusing instead on avoiding other pedestrians. Then something caught her attention, drawing her towards a window. Reno looked over her shoulder to see what had so entranced her, noticing all the Materia that was on display.

Forgetting for the moment who she was with, Ashii breathed, "Aren't they pretty!"

Reno quirked a smile and had to ask, "You've never seen Materia before?"

The woman shook her head in the negitive, still staring at the glowing orbs. "I like that one, the one that isn't glowing ."

"It's just a glass ball," Reno said, wondering why it was even there. He noticed how intently his companion was staring at it and grinned to himself. "Why don't you get it?"

Ashii shook her head, turning away from the display. "I don't need it. It's bad enough that I buy incense."

Reno sighed and, taking her hand, walked into the shop. He signaled a sales person over and said, "I'd like that glass ball you have in the window."

The woman behind the counter smiled brightly. "Oh you have good taste sir. That is one of our newest items: hand blown glass globes. Each one is unique "

The woman rattled on the process of making such items as she walked over to the display and plucked it from its stand. Ashii's eyes grew bigger as the sales lady returned, placing the sphere into a satin bag with the store's name embroidered on it. Reno paid the woman and handed the bag to the young woman at his side.

As they walked out, Ashii asked, "Why did you do that?"

Reno grinned. "Because you liked it. Think of it as an apology for what Tseng and Elena put you through tonight."

"But-"

"No buts," Reno interrupted. "We're almost at Raven's."

Raven's was actually a night club/ lounge and a haven to those that worked for Shinra. Especially the Turks. An entire level was reserved for them alone. It had been that way since before the fall of the company. Current only two people resided in that sacred place.

Reno leaned back against the plush couch, his feet kicked up on the round coffee table in front of him, a Kalm Slammer in his hand. The jacket he usually wore was tossed over the back of the couch; the white shirt he had let Ashii borrow opened so to reveal an expanse of cream colored skin. He watched as a bare footed woman played with the sphere of glass, letting the light from the dance floor below them light up the tear shaped bubbles within it. Her chocolate martini, still untouched, rested a safe distance from Reno's boots. He smiled at the sight of the entranced girl, wondering at what he was feeling.

"I take it you've never been window shopping, have you?" The shape of the out-cropping muffled the music, making conversation easier.

Brown eyes never left the small orb. "Couldn't afford to. Hurt too much."

Reno nodded his understanding. He remembered a time in his life like that, falling in love with something you couldn't afford. But now that his theory had been proven correct, Reno moved onto a more serious topic; something that had been bothering him since the incident in the showers at Shinra HQ.

"Tell me about the scars."

"You first," Ashii replied with out missing a beat. She set the globe on the table and, leaning closer, slid a slender finger along the other Turk's inner forearm, pulling up the white sleeve of the clean shirt. Her finger ran over several still puckered scars that laced his skin. They became older white dots as she reached the crook of his elbow. She paused on one such scar.

"Track marks. Morphine?"

Reno raised an eyebrow. "How...?"

Ashii smiled sadly as she pulled herself so she was closer to her co-worker. "I guessed. Tell me."

Reno blinked at the command and suddenly understood what Tseng meant earlier. "A few years ago, when I was still a rookie, I was given a mission. Long story short, the helio crashed. I was the only survivor. The pain from the injuries and the the guilt led me to start using. There was a large supply of the stuff in the med-packs the SOLDIERs that were assigned to me were carrying. By the time Rude found me a week later, I was too doped up to even remember my own name. It took me a month in a psych ward to break the addiction."

Reno's eyes had darkened at the memories the scars on his arms spoke of. Ashii gave him some time to come out of the memories before she moved back down to his wrist. She let her finger come to rest lightly on a particularly jagged scar.

"And these?"

Reno swallowed. Those memories were still fresh in his mind, maybe too fresh as he felt his chest constrict. He hadn't even admitted to Rude the real reasons behind those scars. "I...I left them," he managed to stammer out.

Ashii moved her hand down to slip it into Reno's and was surprised to find him clutching it. She knew Reno needed to talk. His own partner had asked her to try and draw him out. She would have done so anyway. The Turk was carrying around too much sorrow and guilt already. Even she could see that.

"Who did you leave?"

Reno was blinking rapidly, trying to keep the tears the memories carried in check. He set his drink down where his boots had recently vacated. "Tseng and Elena. Kadaj had taken them and all I could do was... Elena was screaming at me... she was covered in blood... she told me to go... Leaving them...there was a gunshot Elena...she...she fell..."

The story was coming out in gasps. Ashii was tempted to pull Reno to her but thought better of it. "But they're alive ?"

Reno breath hitched. "Vin...Vincent saved them. All I could do was run the stupid thing back to Rufus "

"I'm sure they understand and don't blame you," the woman said gently.

Reno turned his head away from her but didn't let go of her hand. "They say they don't, but how can they forgive me when I can't forgive myself?"

"Is that why you did this?"

The veteran Turk looked once more on the self inflected wounds, collecting himself. "That night, I smashed the mirror in my bathroom. I know I picked up a shard and repeatedly stabbed my arms with it but I don't remember actually doing it. I do remember hearing Rude. He was screaming my name. I don't think I'd ever heard him freak out like that. I guess I passed out 'cause the next thing I remember was waking up in a hospital bed. Rude was standing there and Rufus "

"Sounds like they were worried about you," Ashii said, her voice sounding stronger then she actually felt. She was frightened for Reno. She could see that his actions as a Turk were tearing up the man under the jester facade.

Reno nodded. "But they were more worried for me after they told Elena what I had done. If she hadn't been so injured at the time, I think she would have killed me." He smiled at the memory of the bandaged woman laying on her hospital bed screaming at him.

Ashii returned the smile and said, "Lucky you."

Reno shook his head, sighing. "Your turn."

The woman tried to pull back but Reno wouldn't let her. He held her wrist with one hand while tracing a long jagged scar that spanned the entire length of her forearm with a gentle finger from his other hand. "My story isn't that interesting."

"Then let me be the judge of that."

It was Ashii's turn to sigh. "You had to have seen the scar down here," she said motioning to the area on her lower abdomen. Reno nodded, flinching slightly. It had been a long ugly cut that hadn't healed properly.

"When I was 17, I got pregnant. I wanted the child but she was taken from me." The woman's voice dropped. "He took my baby three months before I came to term."

"Who?"

"The Quarry Master."

The whispered reply took a few seconds to register in the Turks mind. The horrors associated with that name had been repressed to a deep, dark pit in Reno's memories. Red hair swayed as he shook his head in denial.

"You were in the Quarry? But we..."

Ashii gave him a rare smile, though it was filled with sorrow. "I know. The Turks were sent in to destroy it but found that everyone had been killed. That was the Master's doing. He ordered his bodyguards to make sure no one was left alive to identify him before he took his three favorite 'Jewels' with him. I was one of them."

"But that's impossible." Reno was having a hard time accepting that he was sitting with a survivor of that massacre.

Ashii laughed without mirth. "You need proof? The master hid us when your team entered his personal office. You chewed out a SOLDIER for throwing up. You sent him and the remainder of the team to check the rest of the wing. Then you threw up. I was watching from the vent above you."

Reno stared in shock. He never told anyone that. It was one of the few details he left out of his report. The only way for her to have known that was if she had been there.

It took him a few minutes to speak. "Then the cuts on your arm were from..."

"Trying to kill myself after he took my baby," Ashii said as she picked up the glass ball with her free hand. "The Master wouldn't let me die though. After that he had a guard on me at all times."

"Ashii, I'm-"

Whatever Reno was going to say was lost in the roar of the explosion that tore through the club causing the world to go black for the two Turks.


	6. Stories in the Dark

Disclaimer: I do not own FFVII

Warnings: Blood, Cliffie

Mindless Babble: Chapter title is a nod to "The Hobbit".

* * *

" ...no, please wake up! Tseng will kill me if you're dead!"

The woman's panicking voice cut through the fog that surrounded Reno's mind. She sounded familiar but he couldn't remember her face or even her name. But he did remember something else.

"God complex, remember, yo?"

He was rewarded with a short chuckle. He finally opened eyes and felt a surge of fear form a lump in his throat. Nothing but darkness surrounded him. He attempted to move only to find that he was pinned down. Terror flooded his confused mind causing his breathing to become even more labored then it all ready was.

"Easy, Reno," the feminine voice said softly from above him. Gentle fingers brushed his cheek. "We have about three stories of rubble sitting on a beam that is currently protecting us. We'll be okay until someone comes to dig us out."

A moan of pain and frustration escaped from thin lips, though his breathing did relax, somewhat. "So, what happened?"

"A bomb on the dance floor." The woman's voice sounded strained, like she was protecting him from something. For some reason, that caused her name to cut through the fog.

"How badly are you hurt, Ashii?"

"Not that bad. A few cuts. From what I can tell, you're the one who's really injured."

Reno closed his eyes and let himself feel where he had been injured. His pinned left leg throbbed in tune with his head. He could tell that several of his ribs had been broken and one had quite possibly punctured his lung. Other then a few cuts, his arms had miraculously survived intact.

His right hand felt around until he found Ashii's hand. He traced her arm up to her shoulder where he recoiled from the sticky wetness that coated it. He found her other hand on the other side of his body and realized that she was holding herself up, hovering over him.

"Ashii, your definition of 'not badly' needs some revision, yo." He shifted as much as his trapped body could, and pulled the girl down to his right side.

"No! Your ribs " she protested.

"They're mostly on the left side so I should be alright." This way, he could also put some pressure on her shoulder wound. "You hurt anywhere else?"

"No," Ashii replied, giving in to Reno's pull. "But you're the one with the concussion. I should be worrying about you."

"Concussion, huh?" Even though his companion couldn't see it, he was blinking in confusion. "How long was I out?"

"Twenty minutes, give or take. My watch doesn't light up."

This time Reno chuckled. "Well, I guess that explains the pounding in my head, yo."

Time passed before Reno spoke again. "Why does this seem like I've done this before?"

"Mmm?" Ashii had been lulled by the sound of his heart, taking comfort in the steady beat.

"Why do I feel like I've held you like this; in a darkness like this?"

Reno sound so confused, Ashii had to laugh. "Because you have, in another life. Do you remember saving two sisters from being gang raped about eight years ago?"

It was hard for Reno to think with the drums pounding in his ears but he did remember that fight. "Yeah... Yeah, I remember. I was recruited the next day by the Turks for that 'cause I managed to take care of at least 6 of the eight guys on my own."

"Do you remember what happened after the fight?"

Reno grinned. "How could I forget? They took me to their home and bandaged me up."

"And then, after the younger had fallen asleep in her room, the elder invited you to share her bed in her room."

"How did you...Wait...That was you?" Reno asked, incredulous.

"My looks have changed a lot since." There was a distant sadness in her voice, like an old wound being reopened. "I never expected you to remember me."

"That's not the only thing changed," he replied. "Ashii wasn't your name back then."

The woman shook her head. "No, Sabishii was the name given to me by the Quarry Master. I was 'recruited' a week after you left."

Reno tried to swallow the lump in his throat. "I didn't forget my promise to you. The Turk trainers wouldn't let me go so I couldn't come back when I said I would. But I did come back your sister told me that you were gone. I-"

This time, it was her fingers set gently on his pale lips. "I understand. I was so happy to see that you were no longer a part of the slums when I saw you in the Master's office, I swore I would get my freedom back and find you again." Ashii's voice dropped a bit. "I just didn't think I would be working with you "

Reno laughed softly. "I'm sorry. I've been a complete ass to you."

"I deserved it. I shouldn't have irritated you so much when we met in the Arena. I wanted..." Ashii's voice faded.

Reno panicked as he felt the pressure increase on the side the girl was on. "Ashii? ASHII!"

"Sorry. Did you loose me?' Her voice was barely above a whisper.

Reno let out a sigh. "Don't scare me like that!"

"Reno? Is that you? Answer us, Reno! We'll get you out!"

"Your friends are calling for you."

"They're looking for you, too!" The tone she had used worried the veteran Turk.

Ashii giggled neurotically. "Didn't you get the memo? I'm expendable..."

Reno was too stunned to reply. He did the only thing he could; shouting until the blackness claimed him again.

* * *

Rude stood behind the doctors as they tended to his partner. Elena stood beside him, her concern written clearly on her pale face. Even if she and Reno often bickered, they were still as close as brother and sister.

Then there were the ones who stood in the wake of the two Turks. They had been the ones to find Reno and Ashii. They had been Shinra's greatest enemies at one time. But now Tifa Lockheart and Cloud Strife stood worrying for Reno as they would have any of their family. He wondered if they had ever forgiven the redheaded Turk for the dropping of Sector 7 Plate.

He was startled out of his musings by a cry of fear. Reno had woken up again, his instincts reacting faster then his mind. He had grabbed a scalpel while rolling off the bed and was now backed up against a wall, his shaking hand brandishing the blade.

Rude approached the fevered Turk slowly, Elena right behind him. Reno glared at them, apparently not recognizing them.

"Where's Ashii?" he growled.

Rude stopped a few feet from his partner, aware that Tifa and Cloud were moving into position on either side of Reno. "She's in the next room over. Rufus and Tseng are with her right now. She'll survive."

"Damn straight, yo! If she can survive the Quarry, she can survive a stupid bomb!" Reno's eyes were so glazed over with fevered pain he missed the reactions of his co-workers. Rude's eyes widened at the name while a gasp of shock escaped Elena's lips. Both Turks paled visibly.

"Hey, didja know she was supposta have a kid? Th' Master took it 'for she gave birth " Reno speech became slurred and he dropped the scalpel. Suddenly he was on the ground, his body trashing as if he were being electrocuted.

One of the doctors pushed the stunned Turks out of the way shouting, "He's seizing! Get the OR prepped!"

The four non-medically trained people watched helplessly as Reno was rushed from the room, wondering if their friend would see the sun rise.


	7. Quarry and Other Bad News

Disclaimer: I do not own FFVII

Warnings: None

Mindless Babble:

GCS Glascow Coma Scale: A system to assess the severity of a coma: 3-8 Severe 9-12 Moderate 13-15

Mild Intracerebral Hematoma: Bleeding within the brain

* * *

Tifa was the first to break the long silence as she, Cloud and the two Turks awaited news on Reno. "What's 'Quarry'?"

Both Rude and Elena flinched. "Quarry was bad."

Rude picked up where Elena could not continue. "Quarry did to people what the old Shinra did to the planet. They dealt in drugs, arms and unwilling prostitutes, mostly in that last category. They kidnapped women, waited a few months to see if they were worth anything and then, if no reward or request for ransoms came through, they were put into a brothel that made the Honey Bee Inn look like a church. They were the 'Gems' of the 'Mine' as the guards put it."

"About a month after you defeated the Sephiroth's clones, Cloud, Rufus ordered the Turks to lead teams of SOLDIERs in to destroy the ring," Elena spoke up, her eyes watering. "It was a slaughterhouse. They had butchered all the women and the Quarry Master escaped. All we were able to do was arrest a few of the goons that worked for him."

The tears spilled freely from the blond haired Turks eyes. Tifa chocked back a sob while Cloud looked sick. Rude didn't blame them one bit.

"But, if Ashii was one of them, how did she escape?" Cloud asked, trying to regain his composure.

"She killed the Master." Everyone looked up as Rufus and Tseng joined them. Both men looked uneasy as they sat down. Rufus continued. "She and two others were taken with him when he fled. After her two friends died at his hands, Sabishii broke his neck. She had to wait until he had nothing left to use against her."

"How's Reno?" Tseng asked, breaking the silence that followed.

Elena buried her head in Rude's jacket while Tifa answered. "We don't know. He had a seizure and we haven't been told anything since."

Rufus stood up, concern and a hint of fear in his eyes. "Then I will find out "

Before he could even take a step in the direction of the nurse's station, a young man in bloodied green scrubs appeared, coming from the direction of where they had taken Reno. He motioned for everyone to remain seated and for the Shinra president to return to his.

"The damage was more severe then we initially thought. An intracerebral hematoma formed causing the seizure." The doctor sighed. "The surgery we did relieved some of the pressure but I'm not sure of the extent of the damage that was done. He's currently a class 4 on the GCS. I don't have much hope for him ever wakening. Even using Materia would be too dangerous right now. "

"So, you're saying that nothing short of an untainted potion will help him now?" Cloud asked, bluntly.

The doctor blinked in surprise but nodded. "But those are so rare now after that Geostigma epidemic and the Remnants poisoning the rest that it's pretty hopeless.

Tifa couldn't hide the grin that surfaced as Cloud stood up. His Mako blue eyes met her wine colored ones. "I'll be back by morning. Tell Reno to hold on 'till then."

Everyone watched as he left the hospital. Rude turned back to the young fighter that sat across from him. "He has a plan, doesn't he?"

Tifa merely beamed back at him.

* * *

Something cold was being pressed to his chest. Instinctively, he grabbed the hand that wielded the cold. A cry of surprise and pain reached his ears followed by a frustrated sigh. Strong fingers gently pried the death grip off the hand.

"Relax, Reno. We don't need you to kill your doctor," a woman's voice said.

"Amazing! He's already waking up," the male's voice sounded excited.

"It's not that amazing. He is a Turk."

"Elena?" The movement on his hand slowed for a moment.

"Sorry, but you got stuck with the less pretty one."

Reno opened his eyes slowly to see two blurry shapes hovering over him. He blinked a few times and his vision cleared, revealing two people. One of them was unfamiliar to him. The doctor, he assumed. The other one he recognized.

"Ashii?"

"Cognitive recognition? I had forgotten how well those potions worked." The doctor was smiling even though Reno still had a crushing grip on his wrist.

"Apparently not well enough," Ashii sighed. "Reno, let go!"

The man on the bed looked at his hand and realized what he was doing. He quickly let go and the doctor cautiously went back to the exam. After listening to the heart he motioned to the young woman to help him. The two of them pulled Reno into a sitting position, letting the injured man lean against Ashii, his head resting on her uninjured shoulder.

"Alright, Reno. I just need you to take a couple of deep breaths." The physician listened carefully while pressing the stethoscope to the man's scarred back. "Well, it seems that your lungs were healed too. You should be out of here in a few days."

He moved to help lay the other man back down, but Reno resisted. "It feel's good to sit up. Can I stay like this for a bit longer, yo?'

The doctor met with Ashii's eyes and they came to an agreement. "Sure, but not for too long. If you need anything, just call for a nurse."

Ashii nodded and murmured her thanks, listening to the man's footsteps fade. A few moments passed in silence and the woman was beginning to think that Reno had fallen asleep.

"How am I still alive?"

Ashii jumped slightly at Reno's voice. "Umm One of your friends had an untainted potion "

"Who?"

"The spiky, blond haired one."

Reno moaned. "You mean Cloud?"

Ashii brightened. "Yeah, that was his name. I knew it had something to do with storms. He and that pretty woman pulled us out of Raven's. Tiva... Tina ?"

"Tifa?"

"Yeah! And there was a young black haired girl that stopped by and promised to steal you some sort of hair growth Materia."

Reno reached up and felt the bandage covered area on his head and sighed as he realized that a good chunk of hair was now missing.

"That would have been Yuffie. Are you sure your specialty is in intel, yo?"

Ashii sounded miffed. "Hey, Rude told me who they were just before he told me what happened to you. Forgive me if remembering their names wasn't as high on my priority list as you were."

A weak sounding chuckle in her ear made he smile. "I'm sorry Ashii. I shouldn't have given up on finding you. I want to start over, fresh, maybe friends this time?"

The smile grew. "I would like that, Reno."

"Good. Then when I get out of here, we can go to Tifa's Seventh Heaven for that drink you never got, yo. I'm pretty sure she doesn't allow bombs at her place."

Ashii laughed as she laid Reno back onto the pillows. They spent the next few minutes making plans and laughing before the injured Turk drifted off to sleep. Ashii risked a light kiss on his forehead before she left the sleeping man to return to her own room.

It would be the last time the two of them would really have a chance to laugh together before...


	8. Truths Revealed

Disclaimer: I do not own FFVII

Warnings: Death, Blood

Mindless Babble:

* * *

Rude was just finishing up a meeting with Rufus, Tseng and Elena and leaving the office when the phone call came. What Reno had said about there being no rank in the Turks was true; however it didn't stop the President from having his favorites.

"Alright! That was so not funny! How could you? I thought the jokes were supposed to have stopped!"

"Ashii, what are you talking about? I thought you were picking up Reno?"

"The joke's over, Rude-you can stop with that now."

"I still have no idea what you're talking about." Rude motioned for the others to come closer.

"So when did you guys pick him up?" Ashii was clearly angry about something and Rude was starting to get the feeling that he wasn't going to like that something.

"Ashii, I've been in a meeting with Rufus, Tseng and Elena all morning."

"Then why am I standing in an empty room with the nursing staff telling me that two men and one woman, all wearing blue suits picked up Reno earlier this morning?" Her voice had lost some of the fury and now fear was creeping in.

"I don't know but wait there for us. We're coming over now," Rude said, as he stormed from the office, his two co-workers on either side of him.

"Like Hell, I will! If he's not with you, then they have him! I just got him back! I'm not loosing him again!"

Suddenly, Rude was yelling at a dial tone. He angrily snapped his phone shut.

"Something's happened to Reno and Ashii's off to do something stupid."

Elena glanced at Tseng, fear creeping into her eyes. "That means she might not have been the target at the club."

"Damn it! I told Rufus this wasn't going to work!"

The two Turks slammed into Rude's back as he came to a sudden halt. He stumbled forward but turned to face his two co-workers as he regained his footing. "So what Reno said was true?"

"Huh?"

"When I went to visit him shortly after he woke up, he mentioned something Ashii said while they were trapped. She claimed to be 'expendable'. It bothered him enough to mention it."

"We didn't tell you because, Rufus hadn't told us," Tseng said. "We found out after we heard about the bomb. Elena and I were going to tell you and Reno when we had both of you in the same room."

"Rufus had Ashii doing high profile work to attract the attention of the Knights." Elena was referring to the Knights of the Red Queen, the group that was targeting Shinra and the Turks. "He hoped he could lure them out with a Turk that was almost as bloodthirsty as Reno. Ashii was able to do that by killing off informants and brutally gathering info on the Knight's members. Rufus didn't want to put Reno in any more danger then he already was."

"But after analyzing her reports and now this, it's a pretty good guess that they went after the bigger target." Tseng almost flinched under Rude's furious glare.

"Did Ashii know that she was being used?"

Tseng nodded miserably. "She couldn't even tell us what she was doing."

"Then we'd best find her and Reno and put the Knights out of our misery," Rude growled out, turning back to the elevators.

* * *

Ashii crept down the stairs, keeping an eye out for any of the Knights. After she had become an expert on the group, this old office building in Sector Six seemed like the perfect place for the anti-Shinra group to take Reno. It was on the boarder of sector seven and had sustained significant damage, enough to have it shut down. But it still had its uses.

A somewhat maniacal laughter reached her ears and she readied her two weapons. Ashii glanced around the corner at the bottom of the stairs. They had ended in an alcove of which there was only one way out. The room the alcove emptied into was huge, spanning the width of the building above it. It divided into separate rooms further back. Not that Ashii really cared. Her objective was right in front of her.

Reno hung suspended between two statues of strange snake like creatures by ropes tied around his wrists. Three other people were in the room, dressed in dark blue suits. One of them had a gun blade and was admiring the damage he had done to the Turks chest. Ashii was horrified to see the amount of blood that coated Reno's body and had soaked into the jeans he was wearing. The one with the blade readied his weapon once more, turning so he was wide open.

Ashii shot him once in the head and twice in the chest.

The other two suits whipped around drawing their own gun blades. The woman received a throwing knife in her skull while her companion's body was thrown backwards by the force of the bullets that riddled his body. Ashii stepped over the carcass, firing her last round between the man's eyes. His blood splattered onto her black cargo pants and matching tank top. She didn't even blink. Living the life of a Turk had honed her into an efficient killing machine, completely void of emotion when it came to the death of her enemies.

She approached the bloodied Turk, reaching for his wrists. "Hey, Reno? You still with me?"

Silver blue eyes fluttered opened. "Jeeze, Ashii. How many times do I have to tell you, yo: God complex?"

Ashii snorted. "Right. How about permanent resident of Shinra hospital complex?"

Reno slumped into her arms as she freed his wrist. "Sounds boring."

"Well, it seems that that's what you're trying for." The woman tried to situate Reno on her shoulders.

"Ummm Ashii? You may want to duck."

The woman didn't hesitate, diving behind one of the statues with Reno in tow, just ahead of a rain of gunfire. She reloaded her weapon and tossed one of the guard's gun blades to Reno. He caught it, checking the ammo.

"I can take out six. More if they're nice and line up for me."

Despite the hopelessness of the situation, Ashii cracked a smile. With out words, the two Turks leaned around either side of the statue, their guns blazing for a brief instant. They snapped back to the relative safety of the stone and looked at each other. Both dropped the now useless guns.

Ashii pulled her EMR from its holster across her back. She handed it to Reno, pulling her boot knife out. She held out her hand.

"I'm sorry, Reno. This wasn't much of a rescue, was it?"

"Hey at least you tried, yo." Reno's smile was genuine as he took her hand

"Come out with your hands up and we won't kill you," a man's voice shouted. Ashii nearly had her hand shot off as she gave him the bird in return.

"Hey, Reno? I've got something to tell you before we go out in a blaze of glory." She tried to keep her tone light, but she couldn't. She leaned forward and whispered in his ear.

Reno's eyes darkened then went wide as a bolt of electricity shot through him. He managed to glare at Ashii before passing out. The female Turk picked up the EMR that she had turned on the male Turk.

"Sorry Reno. But this way, you might have a chance to live."

She stood up, and taking a deep breath, charged into the group of about thirty people, all of them holding weapons of some sort. She took out two gunners who were taken by surprise by her bold move. She twisted and open a throat with her knife while stunning another with her EMR. Someone tried to catch her from behind, only to find himself being thrown into a group of his comrades. A few more minutes and Ashii found herself surround by moans of pain and not much else. Grinning, she ran back to Reno, peering around the statue.

The man was trying to stand up when she reached him. "I can't believe those were the same people who were killing off the Turks," she said breathlessly.

"And I still can't believe they even made you a Turk, yo," Reno replied, frustrated. "When did they teach you to attack your own?"

Ashii's laugh was cut off by a single bullet blasting its way through her chest. Her eyes opened wide as she fell, her body dropping like a marionette with its strings cut. Reno dropped with her, looking up to see another group of people taking their comrade's place. As they surrounded the two Turks, Reno gathered the woman into his arms and glared at the man whose gun barrel came to rest against the redhead's forehead.

The blast echoed off the walls of the basement causing the Turk to flinch. Reno opened one eye, then the other, surprised to find he was still alive. He looked up to see blood and gray matter leaking from the skull of the man who had been threatening him. The man finally fell backwards.

Reno twisted to see who the shooter was. His eyes widened at the sight of the red cape and the customized shotgun. Behind him stood five other people Reno thought he would never see again. The blond haired swordsman stood shoulder to shoulder with a pair of angels, one blond clad in blue the other a brunette in black. Standing to either side, men with the look of death incarnate dressed in suits readied EMRs.

Reno was distracted as the fight erupted by a choking cough. He looked down at the woman who had become more then just a friend in the past minutes. "Hey, Ashii, we might still get out of this; the Calvary has arrived. Then we can go celebrate at Tifa's and talk about..."

Ashii smiled and raised a hand, bloodied fingertips brushing the pale lips of the other Turk. He clutched the hand. "It was a nice fairytale, Reno. Thank you... "

Her hand went limp and her eyes closed. Dark colored blood leaked from parted lips as the last breath fled from a chest that would never rise again. In that moment, the Turk who had been called heartless realized that he did indeed have a heart, because Fate had just torn it from his chest.

* * *

Vincent had been fighting his way over to the pair of fallen Turks when the hair on the nape of his neck began to stand on end. He risked a glance at Cloud and Tifa. Both of them were still fighting, but in a distracted manner. Vincent knew they were feeling the same thing as he. But the question remained: Who was Summoning? And what?

A wailing cry of anguish and sorrow cut through the din of fighting. Vincent whipped around. Reno's head was thrown back, tears streaming from reddened eyes, a primal cry of pain and fury tearing from his throat. His head snapped forward, bowing over the body of the female that lay in his arms. Vincent took a step back as flames of red and orange surround Reno, growing exponentially. The last time he checked the Turks didn't use Summon materia, but he couldn't deny what his eyes were telling him: Reno was Summoning something huge.

The flames rose to the ceiling, breaking through it, causing the fighters to break apart. Vincent saw Cloud and Tifa grabbing the stunned Turks and pushing them into a far corner since the stairs had been cut off by falling debris. He was tempted to join them but he had to see this through.

The flames stopped growing and a sudden guest of wind surround Reno and the woman, his long hair standing and swaying like a serpent. Something was emerging from the wind and blaze. Vincent gasped as he realized what it was.

A demon. A Hell Knight to be exact.

The creature stared down at them from the hole in the ceiling, its yellow eyes like that of a snake. A pair of massive horns curled alongside its hairless head. Its muscular body was the color dried blood and it stood on two cloven hooves. The only items of clothing it wore were a loincloth and massive chest plate.

The demon suddenly ripped the armor off its chest. Scores of smaller winged demons poured forth, packs of them attacking only the Members of the Knights. The screams of terror lasted barely a few seconds before their owners were ripped to shreds.

Before he could completely grasp what was happening, Vincent realized it was over. The demons were gone leaving just a floor slick with blood. A cry shook him from his shocked state.

"NO! I'm not going to loose two in one night!"

Vincent turned away from the blood splattered walls and back to where the pair that they had come to rescue had been. ''Loose two'? Oh, the woman...' Vincent had never seen her before, although that really didn't mean much. But it had become obvious that the red haired Turk cared deeply for her.

The body of the female Turk had been gently laid aside, Elena's jacket covering her upper half, while Rude and Tseng worked on Reno. Tseng had his head turned to side over the paling face as he watched and felt for signs of life in the Turk. Rude knelt next to the body of his partner, his usually cool demeanor lost to panic and fear.

"He's not breathing and I've got no pulse!" Tseng sealed his mouth over Reno's, forcing air into the other man's lungs while Rude found the hand position on the bloodied chest. He pressed down, Vincent wincing slightly at the sound of breaking ribs. Fifteen compressions later, Tseng blew into the non-functioning lungs. Again, 15 compressions, two breaths. Again and again. Tseng stopped to check for a pulse and sadly shook his head. Two breaths later the cycle started anew.

It could have been an eternity or it could have been only a few moments before the medics showed up; Vincent had lost count of the cycles. One of the medics opened a box and pulled out a set of pads as another cleaned the blood off Reno's chest. The first medic placed one pad on his upper right side while the other pad was place on the lower left side. With a cry of "Clear!" the medics tried to shock the Turk's unwilling heart into beating.


	9. Aftermath

Disclaimer: I do not own FFVII

Warnings: slight Tissue

Mindless Babble:

* * *

Cloud found Rude sitting next to the hospital bed that held the unnaturally still Reno. An oxygen mask covered the younger Turks mouth while sterile white bandages covered his chest. A pair of IVs dripped nutrients and blood into the man's body. A steadily beeping heart was the only thing to prove that Reno still lived.

Rude actually wasn't looking much better. The dark circles under his eyes shone in stark contrast to how pale his mocha colored skin was. The broad shoulders slumped in what almost looked like resignation. The usually immaculate suit was wrinkled and spotted with blood.

"How is he?' Cloud asked softly, across the bed.

Rude didn't even look up. "The surgeons say that the wounds aren't that bad but he's suffering from some sort of extreme exhaustion. What they don't know is why he hasn't woken up yet." He lowered his forehead to clenched hands. "He's given up "

Cloud's head jerked in surprised. "Reno never gives up."

Rude shook his head. "This time, he doesn't see any reason for living."

"What about you and the rest of the Turks. I thought you guys were a family?"

The energy in Rude's body seemed almost depleted. "Something happened between him and Ashii. When she died, a part of Reno died too."

Cloud's confusion showed plainly. "Elena mentioned that they didn't get along "

Rude finally looked up and smiled a bit. "She loved him for some unknown reason and, near the end, he grew to care for her. Even when Rufus put her into hiding at the Healin Lodge, he would ask about her. It was supposed to be a surprise, her picking him up today."

Cloud remained silent for a moment. He wanted to help but didn't know how. Potions wouldn't do any good if the soul refused to fight. Then he thought of the girl Reno had hardly known but cared for more then he should have.

"What will happen to Ashii's body?"

Rude shrugged. "She'll probably be cremated. It's the only way "

Cloud nodded. Any marker for the dead Turk would be desecrated by those that had a vendetta against her actions and her past. Plus there were still loyalist of the Quarry that would enjoy getting a little vengeance on the girl that killed the Master.

"Allow me to lay her to rest," the former Avalanche member requested of the Turk. "I will make sure she's never disturbed."

Rude nodded once. "I think they'd both appreciate that."

* * *

"Rude said to say hi," Elena said. "He wanted to come but Tseng made him get some sleep. He's been spending every waking minute here; even knows the hospital menu by heart. He misses you. We all do."

The tears came unbidden, running down ashen cheeks. "It's been five days, Reno! Why won't you come back to us?"

The young blond buried her head into the bed next to the pale, unmoving arm. She cried for Reno. For his shattered partner. For Tseng who loved Reno like a brother. For their boss the man who care for his Turks like his family. And finally for herself.

The guilt she carried would never leave her heart. She was the reason Ashii had died and Reno was again unconscious in a hospital. If she hadn't let jealousy get in her way, the two of them would probably still be alive and well, maybe even getting along.

Red eyes looked up at the face that was still covered by the mask. "Damn it Reno! I already had to fill out the paper work for one lost Turk. Don't make me fill out yours!"

Elena sat there, just holding the hand that was cool to the touch, willing him to wake up. It was a futile hope as the silver blue eyes remained hidden. Eventually the tears dried leaving her feeling hollow and weak. She jumped when her phone rang.

"Elena! Get out here and bring some back up!" Rude's voice was on edge. He and Tseng had actually left that morning to go to the Healin Lodge to pick up the few things Ashii had left there. Rufus seemed convinced that there was something in those things that might help Reno recover.

"What's happening?" she asked, gracing Reno's hand with a light kiss before grabbing her coat and racing out the door.

"Seems there were two groups of Knights- one for Reno and one for Ashii."

"Shit! Be there in 30 with that back up!" With that she was gone, heading towards the Shinra helipad, calling for a squad of SOLDIERs to meet her there

Less then an hour later, eyelids fluttered open; blue eyes taking in the fact that the room was empty. A cry like that of a wounded animal echoed into the hall, breaking every last heart with its loss.

* * *

Rude led the other two senior Turks into the hospital. It had been two days since the attack on the lodge and all three were anxious to check on their missing partner. The Knights had been persistent in their attack and it had taken a while to clean up the mess of bodies.

They were half way to Reno's room when a nurse intervened, stepping in front of the small group. Her dark eyes held fear both of what she had to say and what the Turks reactions would be. She glance nervously at her fellow nurses and cursed her bad luck to have drawn the literal short straw.

"Ummm...there's something I think you should know before you go see him." Her eyes flitted from one Turk to another. "He's awake."

Elena's features lit up but the smile that had appeared on her lips vanished when she looked at her two co-workers. Neither one of them looked happy at the news. Rude actually seemed more concerned.

"How is he?"

The nurse shook her head. "Physically, he's fine. But he hasn't said a word since he woke up. Well, except for that howl "

"Howl?" Tseng whispered. Louder he asked, "Was anyone there when Reno came to?"

Again the nurse shook her head. "No. We only found out after we heard that cry of his it hurt to hear it. It was so lonely sounding. I was the one who checked on him. He was curled into a fetal position, crying. Nothing I said reached him so I called the doctor. From what I heard, they had to sedate him."

The faces of three Turks paled. "I'll go see him," Rude said, walking slowly towards the door. A trembling hand activated the touch pad that slid the door open.

Rude tried to act natural as he stepped into the darkened room. Reno stood on the other side of the room, looking out at the sunset. He wore only the black jeans he had on when he was taken by the Knights. The lack of a shirt revealed the mass of scars across the pale chest. An unlit cigarette hung from his lips. He turned to face Rude, the bigger man having to stifle a shocked gasp. Eyes that once burned with life were now like the eyes of the dead.

"Take me home."

Rude blinked. It hadn't even sounded like the fiery redhead he knew. "Sure, partner. Just let me check with the doc-"

"No. Just take me home," Reno said, his voice void of any emotion. He padded barefoot past Rude and out the door.

It took Rude a few moments to snap out of his stupor and chase after his partner. Elena had stopped him at the elevators and was currently frantically trying to talk some sense into Reno. The older Turk wasn't seeing her much less hearing her. Rude glanced at Tseng, silently asking for help.

The other man shook his head and said, "Take him home, Rude. I'll deal with the paper work."

"Do you think that's wise?" Rude asked, looking at his partner. Reno stood like a statue, waiting for the smaller Turk to move. "He doesn't seem "

"I know, but this is Reno we're talking about. When he sets his mind to something, there's no way to talk him out of it." The dark haired man glanced at injured man. "At least this way, we'll know he's not going to do something stupid to get out of here."

* * *

Rude glanced at his partner who was staring out the passenger side window, not really seeing anything. The lights from the passing neon signs and lamps caressed the dark hood of the car before briefly illuminating the pale features of the silent man. It was as if Reno was nothing more then a statue carved from ivory.

"Hey, you okay?"

Reno barely inclined his head.

Rude tried again. "Anything you want to talk about?"

A slight shake caused Rude to sigh. Apparently his once talkative partner was now shutting everyone out. "Well I'm always here if you ever decide you want to."

Reno turned to glare at the darker man and Rude flinched, realizing what he said had already been proven a lie. He hadn't been there when the younger man had awakened; the moment that Reno had desperately needed a brother, there had been no one.

"Reno I'm sorry, we I," Rude stumbled in his apology.

Reno shook his head, his features softening. "Don't, Rude. I know you had more important things to worry about. I understand duty."

Rude swallowed, letting the silence settle between them.


	10. Finding Peace at the Edge of Oblivion

Disclaimer: I do not own FFVII

Warnings: Self Goodbye, Tissue, Sap

Mindless Babble:

* * *

The night before he was to return to work, a thunderstorm broke over the city of Midgard. Reno sat on the roof of his apartment building watching the lightening crack across the sky. Even after a week of being home, his thoughts still confused him. He had no memory of the night after Ashii had died in his arms. Rude had told him of the Hell Knight but it still seemed like a faded dream.

The first drop of rain landed on Reno's forehead, startling him. Many other drops quickly joined the first and in a matter of a few minutes, Reno was soaked.

He stood up and walked to the edge of the roof. He was tired of being confused and feeling so alone. Sure, Elena, Rude and even Tseng and Rufus had visited him, but he couldn't feel it. All he felt was

Lost.

He threw his head back and, spreading his arms wide, let the rain kiss fair skin. Soft strands of red silk smoothed itself against his skull. His mind went blank and for a moment he was at peace.

At least until he found himself being assaulted by two powerfully built men. They pulled him away the edge and against the door that opened to the stairs leading to his apartment. Reno managed to get one foot up and onto the chest of one of his attackers and pushed him into the other. He scrambled to get back up as the more nimble of the two assailants rushed at him, pinning Reno to the door.

"What the hell did you think you were doing?" Reno couldn't remember ever seeing Tseng loose his cool like this.

Pools of deep blue opened wide as he realized what the other man was implying. "I wasn't going to jump, yo." He blinked slowly. "Was I?"

Tseng saw the pain and confusion and loosened his grip. "What's with you? You've been out of it since you woke up."

Reno let his gaze drop, unable to look into the piercing eyes of his boss. "I...I don't want to talk about it." He glanced up to see his partner joining Tseng, his body screaming concern. "Not yet at least."

Tseng let go completely, sighing. "We came to pick you up."

"Huh? Where're we going?"

"Cloud said he needed to speak with you, so we're taking you to Tifa's bar," Rude replied, straightening his tie. He had managed to get his emotion under control, concealing them behind the mask of indifference he always wore, but his heart was still racing.

"Now?"

"He did say it was urgent," Tseng said, thinking that if what he had seen was any indication, then this "mission" was to be given top priority if they were to bring Reno back from the brink.

Reno's head dropped in resignation. "Then let's get this over with."

* * *

Tifa looked up as the three men walked into her bar. Even though it had been a long time since she had considered them enemies, the dark blue suits still caused a shiver of fear to run up her spine every time she saw one. She smiled at them to cover her discomfort.

"Cloud's in the back," she said as her smile grew even wider at the sight of the bigger Turk. "Hey, Rude? Can I get you to help Barret hang a mirror for me?"

The dark skinned man grinned, knowing full well that he couldn't refuse any request the pretty, young brunette asked of him. He once had a serious crush on her but over time it had transformed in to something more akin to his relationship with Elena; Tifa being another little sister in his "family". He nodded and joined the other man in trying to figure out how to hang the massive mirror.

Tseng sat Reno down at the bar and glanced at Tifa. "Would it be okay if I spoke to Cloud for a moment?"

Tifa nodded and pointed a thumb towards a door behind her. "First door on your right."

Tseng nodded his thanks and walked to the small storage room. Stepping in, he caught sight of the spiky blond hair. "Cloud?"

"Oh, hey Tseng! Reno's here?" Cloud shoved a box of rock salt onto the shelf and approached the Wutain man.

Tseng glanced over his shoulder to where the bar was. "Define 'here'."

Cloud's features darkened. "I take it the recovery isn't going well?"

Black hair brushed the shoulders of the dark blue suit. "We got him back just to watch him slowly fade. Rude and I caught him attempting to take a swan dive off his apartment building "

Mako blue eyes widened. "Shit!" He sighed. "I don't get it. What happened to him to make him give up on his life?"

Tseng gave a half hearted shrug and returned his focus to the blond warrior. "I don't know, but Rufus seemed to think this might help Reno." He handed Cloud a small satin bag with something heavy inside. "I don't know what it is but Rufus insisted that it be given to him."

"Why didn't he give it to Reno, himself?" Cloud asked, stowing the bag in an inner pocket to keep it safe.

Tseng tried to keep the tremor out of his voice. "The President is in mourning for a lost sister. He and Ashii apparently grew close, even if he didn't mean for it to happen."

For the second time in five minutes, Cloud found himself surprised at the actions of the Turks and their boss. "Fine, I'll deliver it to him and send my bill to Rufus."

Tseng smiled as he and Cloud walked back into the main room.

* * *

Reno was sitting at the bar, watching as Rude and Barret tried to hang the mirror to Tifa's satisfaction. Unfortunately, when it came to her tavern, the woman was nigh on impossible to please.

"A little higher . Nope, too high wait . Maybe if you lowered your side Rude ."

"Damnit, woman! Make up you mind!" Barret growled out.

"Well, maybe if we... "

Reno barely heard anything that was said. A pair of blinking brown eyes had caught his attention. They were peeking around the corner of the actual bar, staring in wonder at the Turk.

Reno tried to smile at the young girl, -Marlene?- and knelt in front of her, making him, hopefully, less scary. "Hey there, Princess. Isn't it a little late for you to be up?"

"Couldn't sleep with all the noise," came the reply as the young girl crept out from the shadows. "Are you a friend of Daddy's?"

"Depends on who 'Daddy' is?" Marlene laughed softly as she pointed at Barret. Reno paled and shook his head. "No, I don't think your daddy would call me a friend "

A little girl giggle reached his ears a moment before the question that froze his heart. "Are you a daddy, Mister?"

"I was supposed to be "

Rude and Barret dropped the mirror, the frame slamming into the floor so hard it left its imprint in the wood. Tifa spun around, seeing Cloud and Tseng emerging from the hallway just in time to hear the softly spoken words. Reno didn't even notice the sudden silence.

"She would have been about you age "

"What happened to her?" Marlene asked, completely unaware of the pain the man in front of her was feeling

"She was killed by a really bad man who held her mom hostage," Reno tried to explain without scaring the girl. Hell, he was already scaring himself.

Things started to click into place for Rude. He had heard a rumor about the night after an eighteen year old Reno had been recruited into the Turks; he had tried to sneak out in the middle of the night. Looking at Marlene, Rude did the math and came to a terrifying truth.

"Didn't you help her?" the child's innocent question sent a wave of physical pain through the man.

"I...I tired but by the time I got there, it was too late." Reno turned away from the girl, trying to hide the tears.

"What about her Mommy?"

"I was too late to save her too ."

Marlene stepped up to the man. She gently wrapped her arms around Reno, the infamous mass murderer, and hugged him. "My mommy's dead too. Maybe Daddy would let me be your daughter for a while like I am with Cloud. Then maybe you wouldn't feel so alone and your heart would hurt less."

Reno allowed his arms to return the hug, softly whispering, "Maybe."


	11. Saying Goodbye

Disclaimer: I do not own FFVII

Warnings: Language

Mindless Babble:

* * *

"Reno? It'd be nice if you'd relax a little," Cloud said over his shoulder. "In fact I'd prefer it."

The redheaded Turk mumbled an apology and leaned against the blonde's back. The thrum of Fenrir beneath him did nothing to drown out the thought's that were swirling in his head, growing darker by the minute. Cloud's chuckle, that he felt more then heard, at least distracted him.

"What?"

Cloud shook his head. "I'm sorry, Reno. Just wondering why she left you her bike."

"Don't know, yo. I don't even know how to ride..." Reno laid a tired head on Clouds shoulder. They were out of the city now, and the Turk felt safe to let his mask of strength slip a little.

"I could teach you, if you want. When you're stronger."

"Sure. Someday."

They rode in silence for a while before Reno spoke. "Why am I still alive?"

Cloud was confused by the question. "Tseng and Rude saved you "

"No, I mean why does everyone keep saving my sorry ass? I'm not worth it."

The blond warrior swallowed the lump in his throat. "Reno, there are still people that care about you-"

"They shouldn't!" Reno cried out, "I've failed every one of them!"

"How?"

"As a Turk, I failed everyone with dropping the plate..."

"That wasn't a failure. Tseng told me the truth, that you were betrayed by Rufus' father. Just like the other Turks."

Reno blinked in surprise. He never would have guessed that Cloud knew the darkest secret of the Turks. They hadn't publicly announced the truth only because it was felt that no one would believe them.

"Then I failed to save Tseng and Elena, abandoning them to Kadaj just to get the stupid Jenova cells to Rufus."

"They don't seem to lay any blame on you," Cloud replied gently.

"That's what Ashii said too, but how could they not, watching the helicopter, their only escape, fly away..." Reno hated himself for being so weak. Tears of shame traced his cheeks. "Then I failed to protect Rufus from being kidnapped by Kadaj. I couldn't protect those kids you saved. I...I couldn't even..." Cloud had to strain his ears to hear the last words. "...protect my own daughter."

Cloud nearly crashed the bike as he finally made the same connection as Rude. "Ashii's child was yours?"

He felt Reno nod, words coming at a price. "Quarry Master kept the girls secluded for three months before he would put them to work. That's how Ashii knew. She told me just before she..." He couldn't bear to say the word. "The Master told her the baby was a girl."

Cloud nodded, trying to catch his breath. "You couldn't have known."

"But I should've stayed with her, even if her father would have killed me." Reno shook his head. "You know that Ashii wasn't her real name, right?"

"Yeah, I figured that out after Rufus called her Sabishii," said Cloud, slightly taken aback at the sudden change in subject.

Reno's smile was tired and sad. "All Turks give up their birth name when they're recruited. That's why we all have just one name. She just used the name she had been called for the last seven years when she was asked to choose.

"Her name true name was Farishta." Reno tried to choke back a sob. "It means 'Angel'."

"From what I heard, she was anything but... " Cloud replied, remembering the stories of the woman's exploits in the underworld.

"It may no have fit her Turk persona, but it's the perfect name for the girl I remember from before Quarry corrupted her."

Cloud cut the engine and announced, "We're here."

Reno shook his head from the multitude of thoughts that were screaming for his attention. He looked around and realized where he was.

"The Forgotten City?"

Cloud nodded as he slid off the bike. "I thought you might want to say goodbye."

"Huh?" Reno looked at the crystalline city and towards the small pool Cloud pointed out. "Wait...This is where ."

"Ash- Farishta is," Cloud said, correcting himself on her name. "She is in good company."

Reno paled even more then he already was. "This is where Aeris is, isn't it?" He swallowed when Cloud barely inclined his head. "I ..." For once in his life, Reno of the Turks was speechless.

"I'll wait here for you."

Reno nodded and took a step towards the pools. "Cloud, I... I can't do this! I'm not ready! I never... "

Tears streaming from wide eyes, he spun back to face the blond. His legs suddenly wouldn't support him and they buckled. Cloud caught the redhead before Reno hit the ground. The young fighter took the Turk into a strong embrace. Reno held onto the smaller man as drowning man would cling to a life preserver. In a way, he was.

"I loved her! She was fucking beautiful, yo! I fell in love with her that night and I couldn't even keep a simple promise to come back to her the next night! Then I go and let her die! I couldn't protect her or my daughter! I deserve to die I want to... "

Cloud shifted so that he could hold Reno with one arm and reached into his inner pocket to withdraw the small bag that Tseng had given him. "Reno, do you recognize this?"

The young Turk opened one eye to look at the object. A trembling hand reached up to touch the bag. Reno turned his head so he could use both eyes, but still leaned against Cloud's chest.

"It can't be This was lost in the explosion " Reno whispered. Cloud turned the bag so the glass ball fell into the waiting hand. "Ashii..."

There was no mistaking the orb he held. There was a small chip in it now but it was the gift he had bought for the Turk that had saved his life by giving up hers, literally. The memories flooded Reno's already confused mind causing him to shudder even more. His eyes rolled back and his mouth opened in a silent scream. Then he curled in on himself his body wracked with sobs.

Cloud panicked. Fearing another seizure, he pulled out his phone. A pale hand covered the small device. Reno was shaking his head while he blinked to clear his vision.

"It's alright Cloud, I'm okay." His voice was rough sounding, but it did sound somewhat coherent. "Sorry...I remember what happened that night "

Cloud raised an eyebrow. "The night Ashii died?"

Reno nodded numbly. He couldn't find the strength to move yet and leaned heavily against the other man's body. "I didn't Summon that Hell Knight, at least not by myself. Ashii helped. I guess that doesn't make much sense does it?"

Cloud shook his head as he set the phone down beside him. "No, it actually makes a lot of sense. Aeris helped me in that last battle with Sephiroth, so it wouldn't be strange to find someone who cared deeply for you helping you."

Sorrowful blue eyes met Mako bright ones. "Why did she care about me, Cloud? I never gave her any reason to."

Cloud tilted his head. "I think you're holding one reason in your hand."

Reno looked down at the small globe he was clutching. Memories of how the multi-colored lights had refracted in it, sending tiny rainbows across the scarred features rose in his mind's eye. He smiled at the warmth those memories brought with them.

"Did you know that she used to sneak into my office to leave me small gifts? That was how Rufus caught her and brought her into the Turks."

Cloud smiled at the man, still amazed to see the tears rolling down the Turks face. He never realized how many deep emotions were running through the man that had always seemed so carefree. "It's amazing how the little things like that seem so significant after they leave us."

Reno sat up, wavering a little. He turned his head to look at the small lake. "I think I'm ready now."

Cloud helped him to stand and walk to the pool. "I'll wait for you."

Reno nodded his thanks and sat down by the water's edge. He waited for Cloud's footsteps to fade before he spoke.

"Hey, Farishta." Reno almost choked on the name. "This time I came back. I guess I'm late as usual, yo." He tried to laugh but it came out sounding hollow. "Guess it was kinda stupid for us to do that; make plans for something we both knew would never come true. There's no happy ending for Turks; just death in a loud, grotesque military manner, right?"

Reno didn't bother holding his tears in check. "I understand that now, Farishta. But it was a nice fairytale, wasn't it?"

He closed his eyes. He could picture the girl as she had been 8 years ago. The long light brown hair that had felt like silk in his fingers, porcelain skin that had reminded him of smooth cream, the sent of jasmine that she carried, and a gentle laugh that fell from petal soft lips that had made her dark eyes sparkle. But she had also been smart and quick witted. She had made him laugh so hard, he had forgotten the pain of his injuries. It was the first time in his life that he had taken an interest in a woman because of who she was not because of what she offered him. But then again, that was what had made that night so special.

"Cloud brought me here to say good-bye, but I think I can't do that just yet. So, for now, I'll just say, 'Please wait for me, Ashii'."

* * *

Cloud was making sure that every spot of mud was polished off Fenrir, doing his best not to invade on Reno's space, when his PHS rang. He was surprised to find that that it was Tseng calling.

"Is Reno still with you?"

Cloud glance over his shoulder. The Turk was still by the water's edge motionless. "Yeah, he's here. But I think he's saying goodbye "

Tseng let out an audible sigh. "Good. Let him have his time but bring him back to his apartment as soon as you can."

Cloud picked up on the strain in the man's voice. "Why? What happened?"

Tseng's voice was strained as he replied, "While you took Reno to wherever you took him, Rude, Elena and I broke into his apartment to see if we could find any clues as to why he's been depressed-"

"You mean losing a family he didn't know about isn't a reason?"

There was a sigh on the other end of the line. "Reno never got emotional about anything after the plate incident, and we just found out why Cloud, he's been on strong antidepressants since."

Clouds jaw dropped. "And you guys didn't know about this?"

"No, he was getting them from an outside doctor. But that's not the problem right now."

Cloud didn't really want to know but he had to ask any way. "What is?"

"It looks like he hadn't been taking them since prior to the explosion." Tseng was gritting his teeth. "This means that the swan dive was just practice "

"Shit!" Cloud looked at the redhead, mildly surprised that Reno hadn't moved an inch. "Alright, I'll bring him back. You guys meeting us there?"

"Yes. Hurry."


	12. Memories of the Past

Disclaimer: I do not own FFVII

Warnings: Self Goodbye, Language

Mindless Babble:

* * *

Reno made his way back to the roof of his apartment. He had been surprised to find the Turks waiting for him when Cloud brought him home. It was then he realized that they knew something was terribly wrong with him. They had wanted to confront him, but upon seeing the way Cloud supported the half asleep man, they mutually decided it could wait until morning. Besides, they had taken away anything sharp or lethal.

At least they had tried.

Reno closed the door to the stairwell with one hand, the other still holding the .45 that been hidden in the secret compartment in his headboard. He walked, barefooted, to the center of the roof and looked up. The morning sun had painted the sky a deep red.

"'Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning.'" Reno didn't remember where he had heard that saying but it seemed apt.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the glass ball. He rolled it in his hand for a few moments, thinking. Then he put the muzzle of his weapon under his chin and pulled the trigger.

"RENO!"

He saw the body drop like a led weight, the small globe rolling away from limp fingers. The black gun remained in the other hand. Blood mixed with red hair to halo the pale head. Blood- not grey matter. The Turk's head had turned, landing so it faced away from the watcher.

He dropped his own smoking pistol, the one he had fired to try and knock Reno's weapon away, and ran to the fallen Turk. He knelt, his fingers going for the slender throat, praying that he would find a pulse. He grinned at the rapid, but steady thrumming beneath the milky skin.

Silver blue eyes fluttered open and Reno moaned. "I'm sill alive, yo? Fuck! Can't I do anything right!"

Tears actually threatened to fall from forest green eyes. "Do you really hate us that much, Reno?"

The Turk visibly flinched at the others voice. He rolled to his back confused. "Shachou? What are you doing here?"

"Trying to save one of my Turks," Rufus replied, brushing bloodied hair from the wound. Reno's bullet had slid along the side of the skull, nicking both the jaw and the cranium. Rufus took off his jacket and used one hand to press it to the gash. With the other, he tried to call for help.

Reno grabbed the man's wrist. "Please, Shachou. Not again "

Rufus sighed but instead of calling for Shinra Medics, he dialed the number of his own personal doctor. After the exchange, Rufus hung up and looked down at the wounded man.

"You didn't answer my question. Do you hate us- Tseng, Rude, Elena and I?"

Reno blinked, trying to stay conscious. "I don't hate you...why would you think that?"

"Because you keep trying to leave us." Reno looked at his boss, bewildered. "We love you, yes me included. You have Ashii to thank for that startling revelation."

Reno tried to sit up at the name but Rufus kept a firm hand on the younger man's chest pinning him the ground. "Ashii? I thought... "

"That I hated her? When I fist met her, I did. She made fools of us by slipping past the security net time and time again, like she was mocking us. I thought she was perfect for the mission I had "

"The one where she would be used as bait for the Knights?" Reno asked, the accusation sounding bitter.

Rufus slumped in an uncharacteristic show of emotion. "Yes. I didn't want to use any of the Turks, even if some of you were already set up to take the mission."

Reno snorted then winced when the action aggravated his injury. "They came after me anyway..."

"I know." Rufus averted his eyes. "I almost lost two of the five best things in my life the night of that explosion "

Reno was beginning to wonder if the blood loss was making him stupid. Ashii had worked closely with Rufus so it was understandable that she would be important to the President. Both Rude and Tseng were the epitomes of Turks and Elena was learning fast. But Reno was just a regular Turk, one that could easily be replaced and in his mind should have been. "I don't understand sir..."

"Damn it, Reno! Do I have to spell it out to you?" Rufus sighed. "The Turks became my family after my father died. Ashii forced me to realize that when I found myself worrying about her on her missions. She came back from one pretty messed up and I...I guess my concern really showed. She laughed and asked if I felt that way every time I visited a Turk in the hospital. I actually thought about it and came to the conclusion that I had started caring about what happen to the Turks the day I saw you brought in, nearly dead from the Plate 7 incident."

Reno stared at his boss, disbelieving as his boss continued. "Don't look at me like that. Ashii was something special. Too kind hearted to be true Turk."

"Yeah, Rude mentioned that too." Reno's eyes closed. "I never got to know her well enough."

Rufus sighed. She still loved you, you know."

"Don't know why... "

Rufus debated on telling Reno what he knew. Maybe it would be for the best. "Ashii told me about the night you shared with her."

"That night... the night of the Wutai New Year's festival... "

* * *

_Seventeen year old Reno walked alone; counting the gil he had stolen while enjoying the festivities. This would keep him in food for at least three weeks. He sighed happily, the thoughts of actual food running through his head. That was when he heard it._

_It was a scream of pain- a masculine one. Reno jogged over to the ally where he found eight full grown men surrounding a pair of teen aged girls. The younger of the two was pinned down by one of the men who straddled her, holding slender wrist above her head. The one that looked to be about the same age as him still had her teeth sunk into one of the men's hands. Another thug held her wrists, trying to pull the girl away from his comrade._

_Reno couldn't help it; he laughed. That was all it took for him to find himself fighting for his life. He could have run away, but he knew he couldn't leave the two girls with these men. He fought like a berserker lashing out with fist and foot. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the girl that had bitten one of them join the fight, knocking out the guy that had been sneaking up behind him._

_The brawl finished with the girl at Reno's back, surrounded by eight men who were very much in pain. Both were breathing heavily, though it was Reno who was shedding the most blood._

_Without a word, the two girls each took an arm of the injured redhead and started to drag/ carry him away from the battlefield. They took him to a reasonably nice home on the edge of the city and carefully eased him into a chair in the kitchen._

_"Anya, get the first aid from the bathroom," the elder of the girls instructed._

_Reno tried to stand. "I'm alright " He slurred before collapsing back in the chair._

_The girl laughed saying, "Sure you are. I'm Farishta, by the way."_

_It took the young man a moment to realize she had offered her name. "Reno."_

_"Good to meet you, Reno. This is my sister Anya," She replied as she took the kit from the smaller girl._

_"Thank you for saving my sister and me," Anya said, shyly. With her light brown hair that barely touched her shoulder and fair skin, she looked like in mini version of her sister. The only real difference between the two, beside the age difference, was in the eye color. The younger had eyes of jade while her sister had pools of obsidian._

_Reno smiled at Anya. "Hey, no prob. Those guys needed a bruising anyway- Ouch!"_

_Farishta gave him and apologetic smile as she tried to clean a cut to the side of his head. "Sorry."_

_"It's a good thing Dad's not here," Anya commented._

_Farishta nodded in agreement then looked at her sister. "Speaking of which, what are you doing still up? Dad'll kill me if you're tired tomorrow!"_

_"Aww, but sis-"_

_"Don't 'But, sis' me young lady," the eldest admonished with a playful grin. "Now get to bed!"_

_"Yes, 'Mother'," Anya replied, equally as playful. She gave Reno a butterfly kiss on the cheek before disappearing up the stairs._

_"Your dad wouldn't be too happy with me here?" Reno asked._

_The young woman shook her head. "No, Dad is pretty territorial; doesn't like other males around his home."_

_The redhead chuckled, wincing as the motion jarred one of his wounds. Farishta looked at him worriedly, before standing up. She pulled the man up and helped him to the stairs._

_"Where are we going?"_

_"Well, the way I see it, the fastest way to get all of your wounds cleaned and bandaged is to start with a bath."_

_Reno stopped dead and looked at the woman he had known for less then an hour. "A bath?"_

_A smirk appeared on the red lips. "Yes- a bath. Don't tell me you're shy?" Reno still didn't move. "Tell you what; if there's anything I haven't seen before, I'll throw a rock at it, okay?"_

_"That's what I'm afraid of " Reno said weakly._

_Farishta laughed. "Trust me, you have nothing to fear."_

_The warm water had stung when Reno had first stepped into the sunken tub, but now it felt relaxing. The thick bubbles that Farishta had insisted on using smelled faintly of lavender and actually made him feel even more relaxed. A content sigh escaped his lips as he sank deeper into the water._

_"Been awhile?"_

_Reno opened his eyes and looked up to see an angel hovering over him. "Actually, I don't think I ever had a bubble bath "_

_"Really? Then I'm glad we could remedy that." The mirth in her eyes seemed to make them glow. "Now sit up so I can clean up those wounds to your head and chest."_

_Reno did as he was told, thankful for the thick foam the hid his lower half. He tried not to flinch as Farishta gently cleaned the knife wounds on his back. He blushed slightly as he realized that those were wounds he had not received in the recent fight._

_"You fought even though you were already injured," the girl said softly._

_Reno carefully shrugged his shoulders. "I couldn't leave two babes in the hands of those scumbags."_

_"'Babes'?"_

_A smirk appeared on the redhead's face as he turned his head to face the young woman. "What? No one ever call you that before?"_

_Fraishta shook her head, her long hair falling forward as she leaned over the man to reach the cuts on his chest. "I guess most boys have been afraid to call me that "_

_Reno reached up and gently brushed the soft cheek. "I'm not afraid."_

_"That's 'cause you haven't met my dad " Fraishta remarked, a slight tremor in her voice._

_"Mmmm...I guess if he taught you to fight, I should be afraid of him. But I'd still call you a babe. A beautiful one too."_

_Now, Fraishta was full on blushing. She looked away on the pretense of looking for the bar of soap; the one Reno held out for her._

_"You're not used to receiving complements, are you?" he asked._

_"Not from handsome men, no."_

_Now it was Reno's turn to blush. He had been called many things in his life, but 'handsome' had never been in that list. He turned to stare at the bubbles until a searing sting flared in his shoulder. He hissed in pain._

_"Oh! I'm sorry!" Fraishta exclaimed, pulling away. "I didn't realize it was so deep!"_

_"It's okay "Reno mumbled, trying to blink the tears away. "Don't suppose you have any painkillers ?"_

_The girl hesitated a moment before drawing closer to him. "No, but I do have this " She trailed off as she brushed her lips near the wound in a light kiss._

_Reno sucked in his breath at the touch. It hadn't hurt. In fact, it had been just the opposite. "Does that work on other places, too?" he whispered._

_Eyes the color of the night sky peered through dark lashes. "Where else does it hurt?"_

_"Here " he pointed to a tiny cut on his cheek and was surprised by the gentle kiss bestowed near it. He decided to push his luck. "And here " This time laid two fingers on his chest._

_Fraishta raised an eyebrow. "For a heart wound, there is only one place that will reach it " She slowly moved towards the other's pale lips. They met hers' halfway..._

_When Reno awoke, he realized he was warm, comfortable and still had his arms wrapped around the beautiful woman who owned the said furniture. He sighed softly and turned to look at the girl. He suddenly found himself have trouble inhaling. If he had thought the girl beautiful last night, the morning light simply made her breathtaking. The glow accented every curve of the toned body, casting the flawless skin in gold. Her sun bleached hair haloed her serene features, causing her to look as if she were a heavenly deity._

_"Angel " Reno was finally able to breath out the word._

_Fraishta, still half asleep, smiled and mumbled, "How did you know my name?"_

_"Huh?"_

_The girl's eyes fluttered open. "That's what my name means- angel."_

_"Oh! That's-"_

_He was cut off by Fraishta abruptly flinging herself out of the bed, panic making her still nude body tremble. She ran to the door of her room and cracked it open, listening. She then quietly shut and returned to the bed where a bewildered Reno still sat._

_"I'm sorry, Reno, But you need to leave!" She started to gather both his clothes and some of hers. "My dad will be home soon and he'll kill both of us if he catches you!"_

_Reno wanted to argue but held back when he saw the terror in her eyes. There was something else there, as well- concern. He realized that his Angel was worried for him._

_"Alright, I'll leave," he said gruffly. A look of sorrow briefly appeared on the girls face before he continued. "But only if you let me come back tonight!"_

_Fraishta laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him passionately._

* * *

"I didn't get to go back that ni... " Reno's voice trailed off as his eyes closed.

Rufus lightly slapped the other's cheek. "Don't you dare go out on me, Reno! Stay awake!"

"Don' wanna... "

"You will!" Rufus commanded as he took Reno's jaw into his hand, forcing the Turk to look at him. Mako blue eyes fluttered open in surprise.

"What about Rude, or Tseng or even Elena? Did you ever think of them; how do you think they'd feel if you killed yourself? Tseng and Elena already blame themselves for Ashii's death- how do you think they'd handle yours? And what about your best friend, the one you brought to life? I really don't think Rude would just forget about you!"

Rufus was angry. Not at Reno, but at himself. He couldn't understand how he hadn't noticed how much pain his Turk was in.

"They should forget..." Reno finally lost the battle and fell into unconsciousness just as Rufus' personal physician arrived. He dropped to the ground and quickly found Reno's pulse. It was fainter then he would have liked, and faster, but it was there.

"It's okay, sir. He just passed out," the doctor assured his boss. "Let's get him inside so I can get a good look at that wound." He scooped the injured man up and frowned at how light he was.

Rufus followed a few moments later, after picking up both the gun and the chipped sphere. He pocketed the globe before ejecting the mag from the weapon. He was mildly surprised to find that the only bullet had already been fired.


	13. The Gift

Disclaimer: I do not own FFVII

Warnings: Fluff, Language

Mindless Babble:

* * *

Twenty minutes later, the doctor emerged from the bedroom. "Well, he'll make it. He'll have a nasty scar for a good long time, but it will heal. He just needs to keep using this ointment to keep the wound from getting infected. And he'll need to take one of these every twelve hours, but I'm not giving him any pain killers. They'll mess with the antidepressants."

He paused for a moment. "Eating might also help, too "

Rufus smirked. That was why this man became his personal physician: his sense of humor. "I'll keep that in mind, Yu-kun."

Rufus walked the other man to the door and thanked him for coming. After he closed the door, he turned back to the surprisingly clean apartment. A black leather couch and matching easy chairs surrounded a cherry wood coffee table that held a ribbon wrapped box. The entertainment center held a plasma screen T.V. that was hooked up to the latest version of the Playstation game system. There were book cases full of well read books and little nick-knacks that Reno had picked up in his travels. Rufus ran a finger over some of the titles, surprised to find the classics and even one of his favorites. Reno was truly not the idiot he sometimes made himself out to be. That realization made him wonder even more about the enigma that was Reno.

Rufus made his way into the bedroom, where Reno was still asleep. The butterfly bandages that lined the side of the Turk's face almost blended with the pale skin. His chest rose and fell rapidly, the onset of a fever making itself known. A quiet moan escaped cracked lips.

As he wrung out the washcloth that had been sitting in a bowl of cool water beside the bed, Rufus noticed the vase of dried roses on the dresser. He realized with a jolt that Reno had saved every rose Ashii had given him. He didn't know whether to laugh of weep at the sight. Maybe the Turk had known subconsciously that they were special in some way.

"Shachou ?" Rufus looked down and met fever bright blue eyes with his own malachite ones. "Why are you still here ?"

"Because I care, Reno. Rude will be back in a few hours. I will not leave you alone for a very long time since I've found that I can't trust you."

Reno blinked back the tears. He had again lost something very precious to him. "I...I'm sorry, sir."

Rufus raised an eyebrow. "For what?"

"For being such a fuck-up."

That hadn't been the answer he was hoping for. "Reno, you're not a 'fuck-up'."

"Then why didn't I recognize Fraishta?" Reno broke the contact and looked away. "And why can't I even do death right?"

The first was one question Rufus could answer. "While she was in Quarry, one of her 'clients' didn't like the service she provided. He smashed her face so badly, they had to reconstruct it. The 'doctor' the Master used didn't really pay attention to detail."

The second question caused Rufus to pause. He now thought back on all the reports written by Reno, where one or more of the Turks had been injured. They all had two things in common- they glossed over any personal injury while going into depth about the othe's and they all placed the blame on himself. Rufus hadn't ever made the connection until that moment.

"Why is it so hard for you to believe that there are people that love you no matter what you do?"

"Because love only hurts when I'm involved."

Eyes of green blinked in surprise. "Why did you stop taking your medication, Reno?"

The Turk struggled to sit up, the fever and blood loss making him dizzy. He leaned against his headboard, still not looking at his superior. "It wasn't working any more and it was slowing me down. I started to realize that after Cloud beat me at Healin Lodge."

"What do you mean 'they weren't working'?"

Reno looked down at the sheets. "I started to feel again." He pushed down the sheets to reveal lanky, yet muscular legs extending from the black boxers he was wearing. The white skin was marred by dozens of angry red lines.

"I guess the docs thought that these were done by the same guy that carved up my chest."

Rufus' jaw dropped as he caught the implications of what his subordinate was saying. "Reno Why?"

The redhead shrugged. "I guess I needed a release or maybe I just wanted to have something to prove that the pain I felt was real I don't know. I'm sorry for being so weak."

The last part had been spoken so quietly that Rufus almost missed it. He again grabbed the Turk's jaw and forced eye contact. "Let me make this perfectly clear Reno. You. Are. Not. Weak. With all the shit you've taken in your life, weak is not something anyone with half a brain would call you. You are also very much loved. I wish you could let yourself feel it! You are not alone in your fight!"

Reno blinked and continued to stare at his boss even when he was released. He had never seen or heard Rufus express so much emotion in such a short time. "Shachou "

Rufus looked away suddenly. "I brought you something, a get well sort of thing. I'll go get it." He returned shortly with the box that had been sitting on the coffee table. He set it on Reno's lap and stepped back.

The box was white with a red ribbon tying the lid down. Reno noticed the small holes that had been cut out of the sides and suddenly found himself wondering if Rufus had meant to kill him anyway. He tugged the ribbon loose, letting it fall to the side. He was about to take the lid off when it moved. Reno pulled his hands back as the lid flew off and a pair of golden eyes set into a sea of midnight black popped out to stare at him. I tiny black tentacle rippled with excitement at the sights and smells of the new place.

"What... " Reno pulled the little cub out of the box so Rufus could set the container aside. A tiny paw swatted at a lock of dangling red hair before Reno set it back down on his lap. The baby creature, the size of a small dog, curled up next to the man and proceeded to wash said paw, with a purr that reminded Reno of Cloud's bike.

"I don't understand sir..."

Rufus grinned at the little ball of fur. "She's Dark Nation's granddaughter. I was supposed to have the pick of the first generation litter, but that business of everyone thinking I was dead kind of knocked that to the back burner. The breeder recently got in touch with me, offering me one of the second generation cubs. I picked her out with you in mind Reno."

"Why?" Slender fingers had obviously found a good scratch spot, as the volume of the purr increased.

"Because you need someone to watch over you as you watch over me."

A genuine smile appeared on Reno's face as the cub rolled on her back for a tummy rub. "Does she have a name?"

"Not yet."

"Then I'm naming her 'Angel'. Is that okay?"

Rufus smirked, something completely missed by the Turk. "I couldn't think of a more perfect name."

* * *

Rude showed up at the appointed time, surprised to find his boss sitting in the living room, reading one of Reno's books. As he pocked the keycard he, Tseng and Elena had been issued, he stepped over to his boss.

"Shachou? I thought you would be in the room with him?'

"I don't need to be," Rufus replied with a grin. Closing the book, he stood and returned it to its home. "Reno will now have a guardian looking out for him at all times." He motioned for Rude to look into the bedroom, which the man did, wondering what he was going to find.

Reno lay on his side, facing the door. His breathing was shallow and somewhat labored due to the fever but his lips were still curved slightly upwards. Curled up next to his chest was a mini version of Rufus' deceased pet.

Rude closed the door and looked at Rufus who simply shrugged.

"See? He's not alone anymore."


End file.
